BFT 261 (December 2025) Discussion Thread

[randyhersom]

oops:  Born in Orange, New Jersey, in 1958

[Joe]

That Dannie Richmond interview.

 

[T.D.]

Oh good grief!

After whiffing on the album of #5, it now transpires that:

#3 is one of my favorite pianists;

I own the album;

I make him a near-automatic suspect on almost any un-ID'd BFT piano track.

#3 is this.

[felser]

6 minutes ago, T.D. said:

Oh good grief!

After whiffing on the album of #5, it now transpires that:

#3 is one of my favorite pianists;

I own the album;

I make him a near-automatic suspect on almost any un-ID'd BFT piano track.

#3 is this.

Correct!  I miss on BFT tracks I own most months!

[B. Clugston]

Really enjoyed listening to this. The only track I recognized is #9, Hannibal's "Soul Brother." Fantastic tune!

[felser]

56 minutes ago, B. Clugston said:

Really enjoyed listening to this. The only track I recognized is #9, Hannibal's "Soul Brother." Fantastic tune!

Yes indeed!

[tkeith]

On the shelf with some kind of lung funk.  Good time to get to the BFT.

1 - Vibe was very Donovan Mellow Yellow at first, but voice comes in and proves it's much more cool.  I don't recognize the vocalist, but, not surprisingly, I like this a lot.  Not my main street, but if this came on in a social setting, I'd be a happy clam.  A little arpeggio happy, but it works.  This vibe reminds me of my first trip into The Church Brew Works when I lived in Pittsburgh.  Walking in, I wasn't sure I was NOT in a church (even with the brewing equpiment on the altar!).  As we approached the bar, Tom Jones' It's Not Unsual started playing.  It was the first time I felt at home in that city.

2 - David Murray from one of the Red Baron releases.  As underwhelmed as I was by most of what was released on that label, this album, or more specifically this cut, was an absolute high point.  No surprise with John Hicks on piano... on piAAAAAAAno!!!!!  ON PIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAno!!!!  The great John Hicks on piano.  I know Murray is a divisive figure, and I understand why, but this is a prime example of what he can do when he is "on".  Of all the praticioners of circular breathing, he's the one guy that I feel actually incorporates it into his musical message -- it's a tool, one in his kit that helps him to deliver his message.  This song is aural dessert for me.  Love it.  The rest of the rhythm section is not exactly lacking, either.  Workman with his typical incredible note choices, and Cyrile is just... everything.  I wish the whole record rose to this level, alas, that is not the case, but if one needs to own ONE Red Baron release, this has to be a strong contender.  If you want two, there's a nice Bob Wilbur release in there, as well.  Here's the link for this one .

3 - Stanley!  God I love this album.  Prayer For Peace from this.  There's not enough that can be said about this guy's writing.  And a true gentleman.  I reached out to him at one point looking for a particular chart, explaining the hobbyist nature of my playing and declaring my love of his work.  He provided me a login to his server and said, "Help yourself to whatever music is there.  I'm thrilled to have it played."  #GreatMoments.

4 - No idea what this is.  Doesn't offend, but the bar has been set very high, thus far, and this one is a bit out of its league, thought that bass is awfully nice.  Sounds cooler than Avashi Cohen, though I can hear him doing something like this.  This seems to BE cool where AC tends to try-to-be cool.  At least to my ear.

5 - Feels very Gil Scott Heron meets Santana.  No idea who or what.  Good groove, but not sure it's a sit and focus on tune.

6 - Dreaded synth... holding my breath, here.  I like the playing, I just hate that sound.  After three minutes it arrives somewhere, but not sure how I feel about the destination.  A rare felser miss for me.  But, hey, it took 11-1/2 minutes, so there's that. 

7 - Tenor reminds me of Fela's style, but this feels too new to be that.  Given the live feel of the band and the Fela influence, I'd guess this to be a South African musician.  Hyper-compressed drums grate on me.  The feel is there, though, and that counts for a lot.  

8 - Man, the beginning of this is so close to Greg Bandy's drumming on Pharoah Sanders' Love Will Find A Way.  Okay, it's Little Sunflower.  Really liking the hand drums on this.  The whole rhythmic feel is a win.  Vibes, so far, are incidental, but that's okay.  Here we go (3:15), vibes are digging in.  It's got that snappy percussive feel of really good James Brown, but with that Latin percussion influence.  I mean, come on, if your backside isn't shaking a little to this, you're probably dead.  Nice tenor sound.  Patient start, hope it continues.  Could be Martino, but I don't think so.  Certainly has listened in that direction.  

9 - I was going to suggest a tie to an earlier track, but this is Hannibal, Soul Brother, with Diedre Murray on cello.  This whole album is epic, but Michael Cochrane's tune Revelation is my favorite.  Hannibal is just... wow.  The version on Cyrille's My Friend Louis is also pretty epic.  I consider it a cultural crime that this guy isn't a household name.  Here's the link.

10 - I mean, two chords in, you know what this song is.  At first, I was thinking Mingus on piano, but then I thought I heard a touch of Gene Harris.  Very loose drumming.  Reminds me of Rashied Ali's band at Den Haag.  I'm stumped.  It all feels familiar, yet foreign, which is probably a clue.

11 - I like the piano, I'm not sold on the vocals.  A little too look-at-me for my taste.  I really want this to hit, but it doesn't.  I keep wishing this was Dwight Trible so I could get what I need from it.  I can't kick, this whole test was a bundle of fun, with several epic cuts.  Which, frankly, is not surprising. 

On 12/1/2025 at 11:19 AM, felser said:

Thanks Dan, I'm a (Philadelphia) Eagles fan, and Jalen and Saquon say we don't do offense anymore, so none taken! 

"Come on, man!  It's been a lousy f****n' day and I hate the f****n' Eagles!"

#iykyk

On 12/1/2025 at 7:36 PM, JSngry said:

Oh, Roger Maris as a Cardinal. Niche, Tom, niche!

Needed something for 261.   

On 12/1/2025 at 7:36 PM, JSngry said:

TRACK NINE -  His time goes a little weird when the bass drops out, but oh well. The energy hasn't particularly aged, which is hardly common with this type "all-in" type stuff. When a player has chops to match the energy, they're playing a winning game as far as that goes. I hear  his tempo getting wonky again once the band comes back in, but he gets a handle on it an pulls it back together. On the whole, a winner!

 

I hear what you're saying about the time, but for me, it's part of why this music holds up so well.  I hear so many albums now where the time, pitch, and blending of voices are absolutely flawless, but the music is missing the "it" factor that makes me give a damn.  Just my 2¢

[tkeith]

On 12/4/2025 at 12:16 AM, felser said:

Yes, Parlan with Richmond, done soon after Richmond's stint with Mark-Almond.

Damn it, I was going to say Horace!  B[ 

[felser]

1 hour ago, tkeith said:

"Come on, man!  It's been a lousy f****n' day and I hate the f****n' Eagles!"

 

[felser]

1 hour ago, tkeith said:

Damn it, I was going to say Horace!  B[ 

Always go with the gut on these things!

[tkeith]

24 minutes ago, felser said:

Jeter AND that highlight... that's low, man. 

[felser]

1 hour ago, tkeith said:

On the shelf with some kind of lung funk.  Good time to get to the BFT.

1 - Vibe was very Donovan Mellow Yellow at first, but voice comes in and proves it's much more cool.  I don't recognize the vocalist, but, not surprisingly, I like this a lot.  Not my main street, but if this came on in a social setting, I'd be a happy clam.  A little arpeggio happy, but it works.  This vibe reminds me of my first trip into The Church Brew Works when I lived in Pittsburgh.  Walking in, I wasn't sure I was NOT in a church (even with the brewing equpiment on the altar!).  As we approached the bar, Tom Jones' It's Not Unsual started playing.  It was the first time I felt at home in that city.

I was raised in Pittsburgh (moved away at 10 in 1965), then spent time there when my daughter attended college there.  We'll need to compare notes.   This singer/songwriter belatedly became a northern soul legend.  I always have wanted to start a BFT with the opening words from this song.

2 - David Murray from one of the Red Baron releases.  As underwhelmed as I was by most of what was released on that label, this album, or more specifically this cut, was an absolute high point.  No surprise with John Hicks on piano... on piAAAAAAAno!!!!!  ON PIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAno!!!!  The great John Hicks on piano.  I know Murray is a divisive figure, and I understand why, but this is a prime example of what he can do when he is "on".  Of all the praticioners of circular breathing, he's the one guy that I feel actually incorporates it into his musical message -- it's a tool, one in his kit that helps him to deliver his message.  This song is aural dessert for me.  Love it.  The rest of the rhythm section is not exactly lacking, either.  Workman with his typical incredible note choices, and Cyrile is just... everything.  I wish the whole record rose to this level, alas, that is not the case, but if one needs to own ONE Red Baron release, this has to be a strong contender.  If you want two, there's a nice Bob Wilbur release in there, as well.  Here's the link for this one .

Agree with you on the rhythm section (especially Hicks), on Red Baron, and on Murray, about whom I have very mixed feelings.  He has recorded a lot of dreck when given too much leeway to follow through on not-great ideas (like a certain New Orleans trumpet player), but give me a quartet with Hicks, or give me his Octet recordings on Black Saint, and I'm all in.  And a lot of his 70's energy-based recordings, while not subtle, still hold great interest for me.

3 - Stanley!  God I love this album.  Prayer For Peace from this.  There's not enough that can be said about this guy's writing.  And a true gentleman.  I reached out to him at one point looking for a particular chart, explaining the hobbyist nature of my playing and declaring my love of his work.  He provided me a login to his server and said, "Help yourself to whatever music is there.  I'm thrilled to have it played."  #GreatMoments.

One of my two favorite solo piano albums (Richard Abrams 'Young at Heart/Wise in Time' is the other one).  Even the outtakes are great, I paid extra to download them.  Cowell could do no wrong in this period, but I lost interest later when his approach and repertoire went more mainstream.  You and I will both always revere him for having composed "Effi".

4 - No idea what this is.  Doesn't offend, but the bar has been set very high, thus far, and this one is a bit out of its league, thought that bass is awfully nice.  Sounds cooler than Avashi Cohen, though I can hear him doing something like this.  This seems to BE cool where AC tends to try-to-be cool.  At least to my ear.

Previously ID'd.  Great bass player, though not a jazz guy per se.  But he could play anything beautifully.

5 - Feels very Gil Scott Heron meets Santana.  No idea who or what.  Good groove, but not sure it's a sit and focus on tune.

Previously ID'd.  Album opener leads (beautifully) into a rightfully very famous recording.  This album was #1 on the US pop charts for six weeks in 1970-1971.

6 - Dreaded synth... holding my breath, here.  I like the playing, I just hate that sound.  After three minutes it arrives somewhere, but not sure how I feel about the destination.  A rare felser miss for me.  But, hey, it took 11-1/2 minutes, so there's that. 

Previously ID'd.  Very few people like this cut, but I do, a lot.  I listen to it frequently in the kitchen when cleaning up meals.  Live recording with only one keyboard player FWIW.

7 - Tenor reminds me of Fela's style, but this feels too new to be that.  Given the live feel of the band and the Fela influence, I'd guess this to be a South African musician.  Hyper-compressed drums grate on me.  The feel is there, though, and that counts for a lot.  

Agree that the feeling is there, and that does count for a lot.  Local Philly group, recorded in the 80's on an obscure label.  No one will ID this.  Saw this group live a few years ago, and they could still bring it.

8 - Man, the beginning of this is so close to Greg Bandy's drumming on Pharoah Sanders' Love Will Find A Way.  Okay, it's Little Sunflower.  Really liking the hand drums on this.  The whole rhythmic feel is a win.  Vibes, so far, are incidental, but that's okay.  Here we go (3:15), vibes are digging in.  It's got that snappy percussive feel of really good James Brown, but with that Latin percussion influence.  I mean, come on, if your backside isn't shaking a little to this, you're probably dead.  Nice tenor sound.  Patient start, hope it continues.  Could be Martino, but I don't think so.  Certainly has listened in that direction.  

Previously ID'd.  Vibes player's album.  Not Martino, but same neighborhood.

9 - I was going to suggest a tie to an earlier track, but this is Hannibal, Soul Brother, with Diedre Murray on cello.  This whole album is epic, but Michael Cochrane's tune Revelation is my favorite.  Hannibal is just... wow.  The version on Cyrille's My Friend Louis is also pretty epic.  I consider it a cultural crime that this guy isn't a household name.  Here's the link.

I almost used "Revelation" but decided to go over the top with this cut instead.  Love Hannibal from this period.

10 - I mean, two chords in, you know what this song is.  At first, I was thinking Mingus on piano, but then I thought I heard a touch of Gene Harris.  Very loose drumming.  Reminds me of Rashied Ali's band at Den Haag.  I'm stumped.  It all feels familiar, yet foreign, which is probably a clue.

Previously ID'd.  Great song, beautifully done.

11 - I like the piano, I'm not sold on the vocals.  A little too look-at-me for my taste.  I really want this to hit, but it doesn't.  I keep wishing this was Dwight Trible so I could get what I need from it.  I can't kick, this whole test was a bundle of fun, with several epic cuts.  Which, frankly, is not surprising. 

Singer/pianist previously ID'd.  She was 20 at the time.  This particular performance had a very specific context which has great impact on all aspects of it.               

#iykyk

Needed something for 261.   

I hear what you're saying about the time, but for me, it's part of why this music holds up so well.  I hear so many albums now where the time, pitch, and blending of voices are absolutely flawless, but the music is missing the "it" factor that makes me give a damn.  Just my 2¢

And my $18.99 + shipping (pre-ordered from Da Bastids as soon as I saw it.)

 

[Dub Modal]

7 hours ago, tkeith said:

- Stanley!  God I love this album.  Prayer For Peace from this.  There's not enough that can be said about this guy's writing.  And a true gentleman.  I reached out to him at one point looking for a particular chart, explaining the hobbyist nature of my playing and declaring my love of his work.  He provided me a login to his server and said, "Help yourself to whatever music is there.  I'm thrilled to have it played."  #GreatMoments.

That was extremely generous of him and very cool to hear.